Welcome Home
by Jeice Lover
Summary: Finny is captured and taken back to his old lab, and he finds that things have changed for the worse. And it is up to Mey-Rin, Baldroy, and of course, Sebastian, to rescue him. Who is this strange girl who keeps on tormenting him? And can the Phantomhive staff find and save Finny before it is too late? Warning: slight torture and gore. Nothing sexual
1. Chapter 1

It was morning in the Phantomhive household. The sun was streaming steadily through the windows and the birds were chirping from their nests. Finnian smiled nervously, as he always did when Sebastian was giving them their morning briefing after the servants' breakfasts. Finny stood just to the left of Mey-Rin, whom he noticed was blushing slightly as she watched Sebastian. The butler had on his usual cool composure, which by now he knew masked his unbound annoyance at the other servants of the mansion.

"Alright," the black-clad butler said crisply, "here are your assignments for the day. Baldroy, you are to prepare an afternoon snack for the master, prefferably something sweet." Baldroy nodded, putting out his cigarette and reaching for another. "Mey-Rin, you are to clean the windows of the mansion." The maid nodded eagerly, though Finny suspected that some of those windows would be broken before the end of the day. "And Finnian," Finny stiffened as his name was said, an eager-to-please smiled upon his face, "your task today is simple. Today you are to pull up the stumps around the mansion, they are becoming a bit of an eyesore and are doing nothing for the appearance of the manor. So pull them out and dispose of them."

"Yes sir," Finny said energetically. Anyone who didn't know him would have thought this would be a near-impossible task for him, what with his slender, weak-looking build. However, all who lived in the manor knew about Finny's massive strength, and they knew that, for him, this task would be as easy as picking sticks up off the ground.

"Very well, you all have your assignments. Now get to it." The servants gave a hearty 'Yes Mr. Sebastian!' and raced off to do their different chores. Finny stopped for just a second as he went out the door. He took in the feel of the warm sun on his face, the feeling of freedom. He always felt a bit twitchy whenever he was in the house for any length of time, so it was no small relief any time he got the chance to go back into the garden. He took in a deep breath of air, then went off to get on the stumps.

There were quite a few of them to be honest. The stumps of trees that had rotted and fallen over from their old age. The trees themselves were removed, but their stumps were left behind. Finny was a bit reluctant to remove them, they made nice places to sit and rest and think, but what Mr. Sebastian said, went. He came to the first stump and leaned over, looking at it. It was a large one, a bit larger than a serving platter. He took a glance at the rings in the wood (Someone had once told him that you could tell how old a tree was by the rings on the stump. He never could figure out how you did it.), then grabbed it on both sides. Without even a 'huff' from the effort, he yanked it out of the soil, roots and all.

He tossed it over his shoulder, then moved on to the next one. This went on for a while, as he worked his way around the trees just outside of the manor walls. He kept on bringing the stumps to where the first one was, leaving them in a pile that he could pick up later. By the time he was done, the sun was high in the sky and shining down on the Earth with a scorching heat. Finny wiped his head from the heat (not at all from the effort he was putting out) with one hand as he held the last stump in the other.

"It's about lunch-time," he said to no one in particular. "Won't Mr. Sebastian be proud. I pulled up all the stumps, just like he said. And nothing got torn up this time. Maybe I'll get a reward!" He smiled a bit at the thought of gulping down something sweet as he tossed the last stump (a little larger than a kitchen table) on the top of the pile. He was just wiping off the back of his neck when he heard something. It was almost like... crying? He looked around, confused.

"Hello?" A little voice came from the nearby trees, making him look that way. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can someone please help me?" The voice sounded like it belonged to a girl (or perhaps a very young boy), and it sounded like it was close. Finny tilted his head, then began walking towards the sound. He peered through some bushes, and started at what he found. It was a young girl, sitting on the ground and rubbing her eyes from tears. She looked up at him when he came through, and he saw why she was so teary-eyed. Her dress was torn and ragged, one leg curled up against her chest, but the other was caught under a tree. He could see her foot sticking out on the other side, bent at an angle that he knew just couldn't be its' natural way to bend.

"Hey, are you alright? That looks like it must really hurt." The girl stared at him, wiping her eyes from tears.

"Oh mister, thank goodness you're here. I was out taking a walk, but a tree fell on me. I'm stuck, and I think my leg is broken. Oh, won't you please help me?" She sniffled, then wiped her nose and eyes once more. Finny nodded, smiling.

"Sure. Don't worry. I'll get you out of there no problem!" He crouched down next to her, looking at the tree. It was an old-looking oak with a thick trunk and leafy branches that he could see on the far end. He grabbed it around the middle and smiled at her. "Alright, hold on. This will only take a second!" He grunted, then lifted the tree up over his head with one pull. The girl stared at him with awe as he tossed the tree away, he could hear it land some ways away in the forest. "There, you're free now." The girl smiled, seeing her leg free.

"Wow! You're amazing mister!" Finny nodded, though he didn't think he was too amazing. It was just the strength he had.

"Thanks. Here, want me to help you up?" She shook her head.

"No thanks. I can get up on my own." True to her word, she stood up on her own two feet, giving Finny quite a surprise.

"Hold on," he said hesitantly. "I thought you said your leg was broken." She nodded cheerily.

"Oh, it was. But I heal really quickly, so it doesn't matter." She looked around really quickly, then motioned for him to come closer with her finger. "Hey, can I tell you something?" Finny nodded, though he began to feel a bit anxious for some reason. He leaned down, and she came up on her tiptoes, placing her mouth next to his ear. Then, the next thing he knew, he felt something sharp jabbed into his neck. Finny gasped at the pain, pulling away from the pain quickly. He grasped at his neck and felt something hard sticking out of it. He pulled it out, and jolted when he realized what it was. It was a syringe.

The girl smiled at him coldly, none of the sugariness from only a few minutes ago was in her face. Finny fell to his knees, feeling like they couldn't support his own weight anymore. The world started going fuzzy, he began breathing heavier, as if getting in more oxygen would keep the world from going so blurry. The girl stood there, in her torn pink dress.

"Now, now, don't you know not to talk to strangers? Hm? 'Finny'?" His name was said with a hint of icy contempt, and a brief wondering of how she knew his name shot through his brain. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're coming home now, and you won't need to be called that ugly name ever again." The blurring colors of the world began turning black, and Finny fell sideways on the ground as the empty syringe fell out of his hands. The last thing he heard was the girl's voice, and what she said made his heart nearly stop. "Sweet dreams S-012."


	2. Chapter 2

Sebastian looked at the staff of the Phantomhive household, holding back his feelings of annoyance and slight rage at the incompetent servants. He kept his face completely composed as he mentally went over the list of people, and the things he would have to do himself.

_Let's see, Tanaka_, Tanaka stood nearby, sipping tea from his favorite cup. _Check. One burned chef,_ Baldroy stood there, rubbing his head to smooth out his charred afro-like hair as he coughed up the occasional cloud of dust and smoke. _Check. One overly-clumsy maid._ Mey-Rin stood there with an abashed look on her face as her face was pointed down at the ground. She was covered in suds from when she had tried to wash the windows, one of which was now shattered. _Check. And finally, one gardener who keeps on killing the plant-life._ However, when he turned to lay his eyes on Finnian, he was mildly surprised to see that the childish boy wasn't standing there. His eyebrows raised a fraction as he registered this into his mind.

"Do either of you, perhaps, know where Finnian might be?" Mey-Rin and Baldroy started when Sebastian addressed them, then looked at each other as they thought over if they had seen Finny. Finally, they looked back at Sebastian and shook their heads.

"Sorry sir," Baldroy said as he put a new cigarette into his mouth, "haven't seen Finny since you gave us our jobs this mornin'." He took a puff and blew out a small cloud of smoke before holding the end between his teeth. Mey-Rin put a finger against her chin as she thought.

"Well, maybe he finished early and fell asleep outside. He does do that from time to time." Sebastian's face didn't change expressions. He merely pulled out a silver pocket-watch and glanced at the time. He made a small 'hmph' before putting it away.

"Well, I must be going to give the young master his afternoon snack. Kindly go and retrieve Finnian from wherever he may be resting and report back to me when you find him." Mey-Rin and Baldroy responded with a brisk 'yes sir' and ran out to the garden.

"Finny! Finny!" Baldroy cupped his hands around his mouth as he yelled out Finny's name. Mey-Rin was doing the same. They wandered throughout the whole garden as they did this. Tanaka came with them, though he just stayed silent and sipped tea. As they were about to begin a second circuit of the garden, Baldroy stopped and snapped his fingers. "Hold on now, Finny was supposed to pull out the old stumps today, right?" Mey-Rin nodded.

"Yes, but I don't see how that has anything to do about it." Baldroy tapped her head with one finger.

"Think. There are no tree stumps inside the garden walls." Mey-Rin nodded, showing that she followed him. "Well, then he must be out in the forest somewhere. It's so peaceful that he probably took a nap out there once he finished. C'mon, let's go get him." Mey-Rin nodded and followed him out the gates of the manor and into the small amount of forest that surrounded the walls. The first thing they found was the pile of stumps, precariously stacked on top of each other as if they were only children's blocks, though a few of them would almost be too heavy for a horse or a bull to pull.

"Well, looks like he at least finished up his chore," Mey-Rin quipped. They began searching the general area. They peeked inside bushes, looked up into trees, peered around rocks, and even checked a small pond they found. Still, they couldn't find Finny anywhere. Baldroy stopped and scratched his head, dragging on his cigarette.

"I don't get it, where in the world could he be?" He kicked a pebble that happened to be in his path, sending it into a puddle where it landed with a muddy _plop_. Mey-Rin was just cheking through the branches of a flowering bush, but jerked back and made a squeaking noise, covering her mouth with her hands. Baldroy raised an eyebrow, blowing out a puff of smoke.

"What? Find something?" Mey-Rin nodded silently, hands still over her mouth. "Well, what is it?" Still silent, she pushed the leaves aside once again and reached in. Her hand came out again, holding something. Baldroy's eyes widened as he realized what it was. "Finny's hat? It's just layin' there in the bushes? Why would he leave it there, though. He loves that hat. I've never seen him even take it off." Mey-Rin said nothing, but turned the hat so he could see the inside. Baldroy's jaw dropped open and his cigarette fell out of his mouth and onto the (thankfully) damp ground. The inside of the straw head-wear was streaked and spotted with fresh, red blood. "Oh God," he whispered.

"I know," Mey-Rin finally answered. Her face was a bit pale from fear as her mind pictured scenarios of all the horrible things that could have happened. "Oh no, Baldo, what if he was attacked by a wild animal or something? He could be really hurt!" Baldroy thought about this, then waved it off, trying to keep from losing his cool. After all, losing your head in these situations only fanned the flames of making things worse.

"No, don't think that could have happened. Remember when that bear wandered into the garden that one time?"

–

_Finny was smiling happily, trimming the dead flowers (as well as a few of the real ones) off of the bushes, as ordered by Sebastian. Baldroy and Mey-Rin had stopped to take a glance at him. They froze when they saw a large bear come out from behind a dense grove of bushes right behind Finny._

"_Finny! Behind you!" Mey-Rin had shouted. Finny stopped and turned his head, havign felt the shadow that loomed over him and heard his friend shouting his name. When he saw the bear, a full 8 feet tall and all muscle and power, his eyes widened with shock. It growled menacingly, eyes feral and full of hunger and blood-lust._

"_BEAR!" Acting on his fear, Finny reached out, grabbed the creature by the leg, and lifted it into the air before smacking it back down to the ground. He did this several more times, flailing it back and forth as if it was a rag doll while his two friends watched in amazement. Each time the gargantuan creature landed with a loud 'whump' as it smacked the dirt with its' face. Finally, Finny smashed it down one more time before running to the house and safety._

–

"Oh yeah," Mey-Rin said as she remembered. She looked at the hat, a touch of worry still in her eyes. "But still, Finny never goes anywhere without his hat, he wouldn't have just left it behind like this. I've got a bad feeling Baldo." Baldroy nodded.

"I agree. We'd better get back to the house and tell Mister Sebastian about it right away." Mey-Rin nodded curtly and they both set off for the house.

–

Finny stirred slightly, groaning as his senses began to come back to him. The side of his face was pressing into a smooth, cold surface. He felt something rub his wrists and ankles, so he knew that something was tied around them; rope from the feel of it, his wrists were behind his back, but he didn't need to see to feel the rough material encircling them. He pulled his wrists apart, easily breaking the rope, then did the same for his feet. He pulled himself into a sitting position, but had to lie back on the floor; when he tried to sit, his head began to spin and he felt like he was going to throw up, he was so nauseous.

From his spot on the floor, he tried to figure out his situation. The room had no visible source of light, but he was able to make out shapes. He was in a small room, he could see that, and he could make out the shapes of bars from their shadows. His heart began beating harder and faster, he could feel his claustrophobia kicking in. Though, there was something else about this room that was scaring him so much. It was so much like, dare he even think it, _that place_.

_No, it can't be. I can't be back **there**. It's not possible. That place is gone. Right? Right?_ A door opened somewhere, letting light flood into the room. Finny squinted from the change from darkness into brightness. Though he didn't sit, he managed to prop himself up on his elbows slightly. Two silhouettes broke the glaring light that invaded the darkness of the room. One was a very large man, one could tell by the tall stature, barrel-like chest, and chiseled muscles. The other was a girl, looking like she couldn't have been any older than Ciel.

"Hello again." The girl spoke, her voice was sweet and smooth as honey, pleasing to the ear like the most beautiful song. However, there was something icy and cold under that sweetness, as if her voice was a tropical fruit that one realized only too late was so sweet because it was laced with poison. You could hear her cold smile in her voice, her eyes shone with a cruel light. "I know what you're thinking, and no matter how much you don't want it, it is true." Finny could feel his heart freeze as her words touched him and registered in his mind.

_No. No! NONONONONO!_ Fear began to accelarate his heart, he could hear the blood pounding in his head. He was in full-on panic mode as memories of all the pain and agony he had experienced flooded and flashed by his eyes in a series of torturous images. The world began fuzzing out again as he felt the flash of a sudden pain explode behind his eyelids. Just before the panic caused him to slip into unconsciousness yet again, he heard two more words from that poisonously sweet voice.

"Welcome home."


	3. Chapter 3

When Finny regained consciousness, he found that his head was a bit clearer. He was able to fully sit up without the floor threatening to jump up and smack him in the face. He rubbed his eyes as they tried to adjust to the dark room. There was very little light in the room, so he had a hard time seeing shapes. He got on his knees and shuffled slowly forward until his hands hit something. They curled around and he realized that he was holding bars. He was in a cage. His claustrophobia began to kick in majorly, he could feel his heart in his throat and his hands begin to go sweaty and clammy.

_Okay Finny, calm down_ he tried to instruct himself. _Remember, you're ultra strong. You can just break down the bars._ With this, he took a deep breath to calm himself, pushing his heart back down into his chest and ridding himself of the lump in his throat. He clenched one hand into a fist and pulled it back, focusing all the power he could into it. Then he swung it forward full speed into the metal. His knuckles hit it full force, producing a loud ringing sound of something hard hitting metal, but that was about it. He grabbed the place he had hit with his fist, and was utterly shocked. It was still perfectly intact. There was hardly even a dent. He grabbed the bars, giving them a strong shake. Nothing happened. _No no no._ He hit the bars again and again, growing more desperate with each strike. The metal didn't give an inch to his fusillade of blows.

"Please stop that, you'll make the men angry." Finny froze in mid-punch when the little voice reached his ears. He lowered his fist and tried to look around in the dark.

"Who's there? Where are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. I'm just like you. Follow my voice, my cage is right next to yours." Finny, though unsure at the moment, was still open and trusting at heart. So he followed the voice of whoever was speaking to him. He held his hands out in front of him, groping blindly until he felt his fingers curl around the bars of the cage once again. "Good, now hold your hand out between the bars." Finny hesitated a moment, now slightly wary. "It's okay, I promise. I just want to shake hands." Knowing there was not much else he could do, Finny cautiously reached a hand between the bars. He jerked when he felt something touch it, but then relaxed slightly when he realized that it was the other person's hand. "There, see? I'm not going to hurt you."

"Okay, but... who are you?" Finny had gotten used to the darkness, so he was able to see a vague shape. It looked like another person, though smaller than him. He didn't have a British accent, so Finny didn't think the boy was British.

"My name is Michael. I'm twelve years old and I'm from America." Well, that explained the way he talked. Finny felt himself relax a bit more, now that he knew this wasn't some trick by the scientists. He had experienced more of those in the past than he could ever count.

"It's nice to meet you, Michael. I'm Finnian, but my friends call me Finny." He shook the boy's hand gently, so as not to hurt him and make a bad first impression. Mister Sebastian had always said that a good first impression was key when meeting someone new.

"So, where did they capture you?" Michael asked as they pulled back their hands. Finny was a bit startled by the question, so he didn't answer right away. "I hate to be blunt, but it looks like we'll be here for a while, so we might as well get to know each other. Where are you from? How old are you? And where did they capture you before they brought you here? I heard Miss Penelope mention that you were 'back'. What does that mean?" The boy asked a lot of questions, but then again, so did Finny, so he didn't really take much notice of this.

"They took me from my home," Finny started. Michael made a noise of surprise.

"That's new. They got me when I was walking through an alley," Michael cut in. Finny ignored his interruption and went on.

"I was the gardener for the manor of my young master, he and Mister Sebastian were both really nice to me." Michael nodded, though Finny couldn't see it, and said 'go on'. "I'm not sure how old I am, but Mister Sebastian says I'm about 16. Only," he stopped to count on his fingers, "four years older than you. As for being back, well... I'd rather not talk about that." Michael made an understanding sound and crossed his arms as he nodded again. "I'm happy to meet you, but I don't think I'll be here for long." Michael tilted his head and blinked.

"Why?" Finny smiled in the direction he approximated Michael to be, though he thought that the boy couldn't see it.

"Because I know my friends will come to rescue me. Mister Sebastian and Mey-Rin and Baldo and Mister Tanaka. They'll all come and help me! I just know they will!"

–

"_I just know they will!_" The young girl in the pink dress, also known as Penelope, smirked as she closed the ear-phone she had been listening to Finny's conversation with Michael. She stroked a fluffy, black cat that had been sitting in her lap as she ate sweets and listened in on their talking.

"How amusing," she mumbled. She looked down at her feet where another girl sat. She was dressed in a simple white dress, as compared to Penelope's own lacy pink one. The girl leaned her head against Penelope's leg, eyes half closed, as she carefully looped flowers into a chain. "It's quite strange how some people react to situations, isn't it Claire?" The girl at her feet nodded, stopping the work with her flowers.

"Yes, Lady Penelope, so strange." Penelope stroked Claire's head with one hand as she stroked her cat with the other.

"Still, he seems... interesting." She smirked once more, and her angelic blue eyes flashed red for just the briefest moment. "I think I will ask daddy if I can keep him after they're done experimenting on him." She lifted her hand from the girl's head as she took another sweet, holding it in front of her eyes as if to examine it. "I think he would be the most fascinating toy."

–

Mey-Rin and Baldo caught Sebastian just as he was coming down the stairs with an empty tray, presumably from what Ciel had eaten. He glanced up at them as they ran inside and stopped in front of him.

"Ah, you two have returned. Where is Finnian? I thought I sent you both to find him." Baldo had a tight expression on his face as he looked at Sebastian.

"That's kind of the problem, sir. We couldn't find him. But we found this." Upon his saying this, Mey-Rin stepped forward and held out Finny's hat to Sebastian. Sebastian took it without blinking, but he raised one of his eyebrows a fraction when he turned it over and saw the blood spattered on the inside of it.

"Dear oh dear, this doesn't seem very good, now does it?" he murmured. Baldroy put a cigarette into his mouth, but left it unlit.

"What do you think, sir? Do you think that Finny might have been kidnapped? I mean, I know he has incredible strength and all, but..." he trailed off and shrugged, unable to bring himself to say what he was thinking. Finny was strong, but he was such an innocent and trusting individual, he could have easily been tricked by someone. Sebastian seemed to think for a moment, placing a gloved hand on his chin.

"There are still things to do around the manor, and we can't very well leave them to be done until tomorrow. I shall do these things and consult the young master. Mey-Rin, you are to continue your chores here. Baldroy," Baldo stiffened as he awaited his order, as his military training had conditioned him to do so. "You are well trained in tracking, are you not? I want you to go out and see if you can pick up a trail. Report back to me when you find a lead."

"Yes sir!" With orders given out, they dispersed to perform their duties. Baldo ran back out the door, a gleam in his eye as memories of the brush and tracking training came back to him. Sebastian left the room, cool as a cucumber and stiff as a board. Mey-Rin, however, lingered for just a moment as she stared at where Baldroy had run off.

_Be careful Baldo_, she thought worriedly. _And Finny... please just stay alright until we find you._


	4. Chapter 4

The young Earl, Ciel Phantomhive, was just about ready to enjoy his supper after hours of filling out papers and other such business matters. He looked up when he heard the door knob turn, then the door itself opened slowly to show Sebastian on the other side. As his butler wheeled in the cart that held his food, Ciel glanced at the clock. He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Sebastian.

"It is 6:03. You're three minutes late today, Sebastian," he said smoothly. Sebastian bowed his head once in Ciel's direction as he picked the tray up from the cart.

"My most sincere apologies my young lord," he responded just as smoothly. He placed the tray in front of his young master and took off the cover. "Today's evening meal is a nice Jasmine tea, followed by a rich shepherd's pie, along with a crisp mint salad topped with hazelnuts and a bowl of honey crystallized fruit for dessert." Ciel nodded as an acknowledgment of the delicious food, then picked up a cup of the tea and began to sip it. As Sebastian began to tidy up the room, he heard Ciel speak to him while his back was turned.

"You know," he began, "it is very odd. I have glanced out my window from time to time today, but I do not think I have caught a glance of our Finnian." He didn't use Finny's name in an endearing tone, but it was clear in his monotone voice that he was wondering something. "Where do you think he could be, Sebastian?" he asked as he took a sip of the fragrant tea. Sebastian allowed himself his usual slightly mischievous smile.

"I do not know the answer to that, my young lord." Ciel took in the scent of the fragrant tea that he was sipping as he listened to the answered.

"Do you, now? That is rather unusual for you, isn't it?" He sliced a piece of the gravy-rich pie off and speared it delicately on his fork. From the way they were speaking so casually, one might assume that they were merely talking about some everyday topic, such as the weather.

"It seems that he has, as the Americans say, dropped off of the radar. I have no idea where he might be at the moment. I have sent Baldroy off to search for him. However," he pulled Finny's hat from the bottom level of the cart and showed the bloodied inside to Ciel, "Mey-Rin and Baldroy found this upon an initial search for him." Ciel looked at the hat as he slowly chewed a morsel of cool salad. He swallowed softly and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before speaking.

"I see." He fingered the eyepatch over his right eye in thought. "What do you think could have happened to him, Sebastian? It doesn't seem very likely that any normal animal would have had the strength to do him in. Besides, if it had, then they would have at least found his carcass. Also, I know for a fact that Finnian is very loyal to this household, so I doubt that he would have left of his own accord, not to mention without even saying a word of goodbye or looking for severance pay." Sebastian only smiled in his mysterious way.

"My lord, from the way you speak, it seems you only leave one possibility for his disappearance open." Ciel did not respond, but took another bite of his cake. "Do you have any orders for me?" Ciel sipped his tea to clear his throat.

"At the moment, no. Currently, we shall leave the initial search to Baldroy. If he does manage to find our Finnian, then case closed and all that. However..." Sebastian smiled, knowing what this was leading to.

"However," he went on for his master, "if it turns out he did not leave of his own will, then he would have to have been kidnapped. Or someone tricked him into coming away." Sebastian smirked, like a gloating cat. "I am surprised at you, my lord. It is not like you to worry about your servants like so." Ciel picked up his spoon and looked at his reflection in the polished silverware.

"Don't be absurd, Sebastian. That would not be it at all. You know, to me, my servants are my toys. I am a very greedy child, Sebastian." He smirked grimly at his own reflection. "And as you know, greedy children don't like it when others play with their toys."

–

Finny leaned against one of the sides of the cage, his knees tucked up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was visibly shaking, the effort he was using to keep himself calm and not bashing the bars to escape was tremendous. He wasn't a genius, that was for sure, but he was intelligent enough to know that he wouldn't be able to get out of that cage by brute force alone. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but only enough for him to see slight shapes. He could see the outlines of many, many other cages, though he could only tell if a few of them were occupied or not. Michael had told Finny he was going to sleep (which he apparently had, judging by how quiet he was and the fact that he didn't respond if Finny said his name), so this left Finny alone with his thoughts and fears of the tight space he was in.

As he forced his breathing to remain steady, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on something, anything, other than his current situation. _Okay_, he thought slowly, _I'm back at master Ciel's manor. It's sunny outside. I'm out in the garden with the flowers and the sun and the bees and the birds. Any minute now Miss Mey-Rin will call me in for lunchtime. Then me, her, Mr. Baldo, and Mr. Tanaka will eat lunch together. We will laugh and talk and smile. That's what will happen. All they have to do is find me first, then everything will be back to normal. All back to normal. I'll be back at the manor. With Mey-Rin and Baldo laughing and master Ciel working so hard and Mr. Sebastian being so nice and-_

He was cut off mid-thought as the doors opened once again. He heard whimpers and cries of fear from the others that he supposed were in this place. He looked off to his side, where he thought Michael might be. He caught a glimpse of a younger boy, with raven colored hair and extremely pale skin. The boy's eyes were an almost glowing yellow, and he could visibly see the pupils quickly adjusting themselves from wide to small. He was just about to wonder why, but the sound of footsteps pulled him away from that chain of thought.

For the third time that day, he saw that same little girl who had tricked him and, he supposed, brought him back to this place. She had a little smile on her face, polite and sweet, yet with dark undertones that could send shivers down the spine. Her pale blue eyes had a certain spark to them, despite the darkness around them.

"Hello again," she chirped happily. Her voice was sweet as a bird's song in the springtime. She strode up to the side of the cage, looking past the bars and at him. "I wanted to be able to talk to you now since you passed out the last time I was here. Daddy wants to get you used to the swing of things again, but I convinced him to wait until tomorrow to resume your injections." Finny could feel his own eyes widening in fear. In front of him, Penelope smirked with a vicious light in her eyes, one that was mirrored by the dark, fluffy cat that she held in her arms. "Oh, don't worry about it hurting, we try not to do that anymore, unless you make us mad. If you just do what we say, then we might let you have anesthetic so you won't feel a thing when they're breaking your bones and your muscles are tearing themselves apart. Or when they jab so many needles into your arm it's like-"

"Leave him alone already you witch!" Michael shouted out. A few whimpers and squeaks of fear escaped the others. Almost immediately, Penelope's smile froze on her face. Her eyes became more shiny and beautiful as her smile grew more sweet. Michael seemed to suddenly fear her again and backed away to the far end of his cage. Her little heels clicked softly on the floor as she strode over to his cage. "No!" Michael cried out. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I wasn't thinking! I-" he froze mid-sentence as she stopped and looked directly at him. She leaned forward until her tiny nose was almost between the bars of the cage.

"Come here, please, H- 108." He stayed frozen in his corner, eyes wide like a cornered mouse. "I _said_, come here H-108 _please_." Suddenly, her eyes turned a sharp crimson color, like water that had just had blood splashed into it. Michael jerked, and Finny held back a noise of surprise when he saw the other boy's eyes turn red as well. Michael came forward and knelt down so he was facing Penelope's legs. The girl smiled more sweetly still and wagged a finger at him, like an adult to a naughty child. "It is not polite to interrupt someone when they are talking, Michael. Or when you disobey someone when they ask you to do something." Suddenly, her wagging finger curled into a tight fist.

Finny could see Michael choke, hearing the gacking noises he produced. His hands began to slowly reach towards his own throat, fingers twitching. Finally, wrapped his hands around his throat and squeezed. Finny watched in horror as the boy proceeded to strangle himself. He doubled over and gagged and gasped for air, but he seemed unable to remove his own hands from his throat. His face turned from red, to purple, to an ashen grey color. The raven haired boy's eyes bulged, his tongue flailing out of his mouth. All while Penelope continued to smile with such sugar in her lips. Suddenly, she opened the fist she had made with her own hand, and Michael released his throat. He landed on his hands and knees, gasping for precious oxygen.

"I hope you've learned your lesson now," Penelope said with an almost sad voice, "otherwise I might actually have to make you die next time. That would be so nasty. I don't like painful things." After watching Michael come back from the brink of death for another moment, she turned and walked back to the door. She stopped in front of where Finny was being held, then turned and sent him a small smile and a wink. "I'll see you tomorrow S-012," she chirped. With that, she walked out the door, leaving the room of cages in darkness once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Baldroy stood with stiff shoulders in front of Ciel's desk, a worried-looking Mey-Rin slightly behind him. Sebastian stood behind the desk next to a sitting Ciel. The young earl took a sip of his tea and looked questioningly at his chef.

"Well, spit it out then. What came of your search Baldroy? Did you find any clues." The cook looked down at his shoes and lifted up his right hand, which had something white clutched between the fingers. It was a simple, short-sleeved shirt, ridden with ragged slices through the material and splattered with something hardened and red.

"Only this, young master." He was holding a cigarette in his mouth without smoking it, using it simply as a sort of comfort for himself. Ciel gazed at the object his servant held out, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Sebastian, what do you think of it?" Sebastian stepped forward and removed his glove, then held out his hand for the shirt Baldroy had found. Baldroy placed it into the butler's palm and released it from his own grasp. Sebastian held the torn article of clothing closer to his face and examined it closely. His eyes didn't even narrow as he looked it over. Finally, he looked back at Ciel and spoke his analysis.

"This is indeed Finnian's shirt, young master. There is no doubt about that." A muffled whimper came from Mey-Rin, who quickly silenced herself. Baldroy patted her comfortingly on the shoulder, though he held back a grunt of his own. "However," Sebastian went on, "This damage does not seem to be the doing of an animal." The other two minor servants gasped and looked at him intently.

"How do you know, Sebastian?" Mey-Rin asked intently.

"It is quite obvious," the butler responded. "If you examine the incisions in the clothing closely, you can see that these were made by some type of sharp instrument, most likely a knife of some kind. The cuts were made precisely to imitate an animal's messy claws. However, they were too precise, which is what gave this away first. The other clue," he went on, "is the blood on the shirt. The blood spatters are irregular, not in the pattern as they should have been were he clawed to death by an animal. It isn't even torn open, which it would have if it had fallen off of him after an animal attack. Moreover, the blood is far too clotted to be fresh, and it has the scent more of the blood of livestock than human. So, there is only one other possibility for this." Mey-Rin covered her mouth again as she gasped aloud. Baldroy frowned as he got what Sebastian was getting at.

"So you think he was kidnapped?"

"That is my best guess to what has transpired, yes," Sebastian answered simply. Baldroy held up a tight fist, teeth clenched together and his cigarette most likely cut in two between them.

"Who? Tell me who, just tell me and I'll kill the bastards who did it myself." Sebastian held a calm facial expression, not even blinking at the chef's outburst.

"Calm yourself now, Baldroy. We do not know quite yet who the culprits, or cuplrit, are. Young master?" Ciel sighed as he leaned his head on his hand.

"Very well. Sebastian, I want you to find out who has kidnapped our Finnian. That is an order." Sebastian deeply bowed towards Ciel.

"As your wish, young master."


	6. Chapter 6

It was still dark when Finny opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around, a mixture of fear and anxiety swirling in his gut.

"Good morning," a small feminine voice called out from the darkness. He whipped around, squinting into the darkness to find the voice's source. "Oh, right, sorry. I heard you waking up just now, so I thought I'd say hi, since I haven't met you before and all." Finny, still feeling his claustrophobia weighing down on him, managed a small greeting.

"Hello there, I'm Finny. What's your name?" Good manners under any circumstances, just as Mr. Sebastian had taught him.

"My name is Jean," he heard her say quietly. "You may want to keep your voice down, they might hear us talking, and they don't like us talking too much." Finny tensed up against the bars of his cage, and not just from the cold metal. He knew all too well what these people would do to you if you disobeyed any of their rules.

"Okay, I get it," he whispered. "My name's Finnian, by the way. My friends call me Finny."

"Nice to meet you, Finny," Jean greeted softly.

"So, how did you get here?"

"I heard you talking with Michael yesterday, so my story is about the same as yours, I guess," she answered quietly with a whimper in her voice. "They kidnapped me when I was playing in my front yard." She had a hint of sadness in her voice as she spoke. "I just want to go home, they've done so many things to me... I don't know what mummy and daddy will think when they see me." She may have been about to say more, but she didn't get the chance. There was the loud sound of a lock clanking, and she squeaked and fell silent. The heavy metal door creaked open. Behind him (as his own cage was the foremost and closest to the door) Finny could hear the other experiments whimper, some sobbing quietly. There, in the doorway, stood little Penelope. A calico cat draped over her shoulders, hanging loosely like a shawl. She was flanked on either side by two men clad in white labcoats.

The very sight of these men made Finny's heart began pounding as his mind raced over his memories. Being jabbed with needles until his skin was purple and bruised. Being strapped to a table with metal clamps and sliced open like meat on a the butcher's slab. Hearing the mocking laughter of the men who forced such pain on him. All of these things he saw embodied in this little girl's sky eyes.

"Good morning S-012, guess what time it is~" she trilled like a springtime robin. She didn't wait for an answer before going on. "It's time for your first injections!" Finny could have sworn he felt his heart stop for a moment. He immediately did what his instincts told him. He jumped back and made an undignified scramble to the furthest wall of the cage. Penelope only smiled gently and sweetly as she stepped up to the side of the cage closest to her. She was wearing a frilly dress with a low neckline that showed about an inch below her collarbone. Finny noticed this as his eyes darted down to something that showed on her skin. It seemed to be the top of a circle with little spikes sprouting from it on either side, and the top points of a star poked out as well. "It is not polite to stare at a lady's body, you know," Penelope playfully chided. "Now, look at me, S-012."

Feeling that something bad would happen whether he obeyed or disobeyed, Finny looked up until their eyes met. As soon as sky blue met sea-green, the sky blue turned crimson. Finny froze, unable to do anything. It was as if every nerve in his body had suddenly been frozen. He had no control over his body, he couldn't move at all, and all he could see was that red.

"Stand up." He heard that little chirp of a voice meet his ears, yet it also seemed to echo in his head. He felt himself stand up, though he didn't know how or why. "Now, come here." He couldn't help but do what the little voice told him to do. It was as if his own body was a prison, he was helpless to obey. "Now, you're going to follow us down the hall, and do exactly as I say, 'kay?" She waited for no answer, but her voice turned harsh as she pointed at the cage.

"Take him out, let's get him to the lab." The scientist men went forward and unlocked the cage. Finny could feel his heart beating against his ribs, but couldn't make himself move to fight back, or to take a chance of escape out the open doors. His body was limp as the scientists grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out the door and into the light. All the while, Penelope followed, smiling a bit as she stroked the cat on her shoulders.

–

Finny was shaking by the time he was thrown back into the cage. He curled himself up into a ball, fists pressing against his chin and eyes moistening. It was just like all of his nightmares. He was back, and he couldn't move as they jabbed needles into the fleshy parts of his arm. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop them. They had taken his clothes, forced him into a thin hospital gown. All of his strawberry-golden hair had been shaved off and tossed into the garbage. He was helpless to stop any of it. These nightmares only resolved themselves when he woke up.

Only, this was no nightmare. He couldn't escape it by waking up. It was actually happening to him. He sniffled, curling and uncurling his toes as he did for the sole reason that he could move them again. The tears freely flowed down his face, he didn't even try to stifle them as he sniffled and wept quietly.

_I want to go home._


	7. Chapter 7

A hand rose up in a darkened room, gripping something tightly in its grasp. The hand's owner sneered at the object they held. With the other hand, they picked up a knife that had been lying nearby. Without hesitation, they stabbed the knife into it over and over again, feeling blood run down their arm.

"Hmph. Such a vile, dirty thing." They tossed it to the floor, where another creature caught it, even as the thing twitched feebly.

"Dispose of this."

–

Ciel sat in the chair behind his desk. Sebastian stood a few feet away from the closed study door. His young master had his back turned towards him, and (he guessed) was staring out the window. After a moment of silence had passed, Sebastian guessed it to be right to ask.

"You called, young master?"

"One week." Sebastian coolly raised an eyebrow at the two simple words.

"Young master?"

"It has been one week, Sebastian, since I gave you the order to retrieve our Finnian from his kidnappers, whoever they may be. However, come here and take a look out in the garden." Sebastian rounded the desk and stood beside his master, staring down at the greenery that he was now taking care of full-time since Finny had vanished. "Tell me, do you see our gardener out there right now? Working like he would be, if he were here."

"No, young master, I do not. Despite my many searches, it seems that the trail has gone cold. I even went as far as to ask Prince Soma and Agni to return Snake early, though we had agreed he would help them clean up the townhouse this week." Ciel still did not look at his butler, but looked down at the family ring on his finger.

"And? What came of that, then?" Sebastian stared out the window as he recounted the event to his master.

–

"_Snake, I must thank you for returning to us on such short notice." The scaly-skinned servant nodded slightly, eyes as emotionless as ever._

"_Of course, we are willing to do anything if it is to assist Smile and Black." He paused then added, "says Goethe," as if in afterthought. "So, what is it what we can do for you? Asks Oscar. Sebastian said nothing, but held out Finny's bloody hat. Snake's eyes widened as he saw the dirtied article. "That is Finny's hat! Exclaims Wilde. Did something happen to him?! Asks Keats." Sebastian made a slight nod._

"_Indeed, it seems that our Finnian has gone missing a few days ago. As it seems the dogs have not been able to track him yet, I was under the impression that perhaps your snakes, with their more sensitive sense of smell, might be able to track him down. As all the dogs can smell is the animal blood on the hat. Do you think you can do it?" Snake took the hat and examined it closely. One of his snakes, a rather large black mamba, poked its head out from the inside of Snake's shirt and came close to the hat. It flicked its' tongue out a few times, drawing the scent towards its' nose as snakes do. Then, after a moment, it slithered down Snake's body to the ground, where it proceeded to slide off on its' scaly belly._

"_It was difficult, because of all the animal blood, but Wordsworth has picked up Finny's scent, he says he is going off to track Finny now. Says Dan." Sebastian smiled, then patted Snake's head as he went past him._

"_Very good. Thank you for your assistance, Snake. Kindly alert me when Wordsworth returns with information about our missing Finnian."_

"_Of course. I'll let you know as soon as Wordsworth gets back. Says Emily."_

–

Ciel was silent as his servant told him the tale of the event.

"...And? How long ago was this?" Sebastian glanced at the calendar on the wall closest to them.

"About three days or so ago. Even snakes require time to track their prey. But I am sure that, in only a matter of time, the snake will return and we shall have information on-" He cut himself short as a bloodcurling scream sounded in the manor's silence. Ciel turned his chair around, narrowing his eye.

"What the devil?" Sebastian was out of the room before he was, but Ciel was onl a little ways behind, running as fast as he could to keep up with his demon butler. (Still, he only managed to keep up for a few seconds before he lost Sebastian around the next corner.) However, both of them had managed to pinpoint the scream's origin to the front of the manor, on the front entrance just outside the door. Sebastian arrived first, with Ciel panting heavily a long while after. The origin turned out to be Snake, who was on his knees on the stone surface of the front porch. He was bent over something, and he was shaking.

"Snake? What happened?" Ciel asked. "What were you screaming about?" To his surprise, Snake looked up, and Ciel saw that the older boy was crying. Tears dripped down both the scales and skin on his face, and his nose was running badly.

"Smile..." Snake whispered. "Wordsworth is... Wordsworth is..." Ciel looked down to whatever Snake was holding, and immediately jumped back. The black mamba named Wordsworth was lying still in a pool of blood. The shiny, black scales were dulled, and in some places ripped off. There were numerous long gashes in the creature's long, thick body, like some sort of wild animal had gotten to it.

"Sebastian, what happened to the sna- ahem, Wordsworth?" Ciel refrained from calling Wordsworth 'the snake' in light of how upset Snake was. Sebastian leaned down and touched Snake's hand gently.

"May I?" Snake nodded and wiped his eyes, removing both of his hands from Wordsworth's still body. Sebastian lifted up the black mamba, eyeing it closely. "Hm... Don't fret Snake, it appears that Wordsworth is still alive, though just barely." Snake's eyes widened with a sort of hope, and he stared intently at his beloved pet. "However, if you will allow me to be so bold, I could perform some treatment to help save him. May I?" Snake nodded fiercely, grasping his hands so tightly that they were turning white.

"Yes! Please, do whatever you need to, Black! Please just save Wordsworth!" Sebastian nodded, not caring to note that Snake had not added the fact that it was one of his other pets that had said this. Sebastian paused just before he picked up the black mamba.

"Oh yes, my apologies. Young master, may I?" Ciel only gave him a look before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Do what you must, Sebastian." The butler picked up the snake and carried it into the manor.

"Very well, this shall not take long, Snake. Wait until I call you." Snake stared after Sebastian, tears still going down his face. Ciel stood there awkwardly for a moment, glancing at the older teen from the corner of his eye. Finally, he looked away and patted Snake once on the back.

"Calm yourself, Snake. Sebastian will take care of Wordsworth for you." Snake looked at him with teary eyes. He flinched when Ciel threw a handkerchief in his direction. "Also, wipe off your face, I won't have any servant of mine looking so awful. Now if you'll excuse me, I shall be getting back to my work." He walked off, leaving Snake wiping away his tears and blowing his nose clear with the handkerchief Ciel had thrown at him.

–

Ciel stood in the hall as Sebastian came out. Snake looked anxiously first at the door, then at Sebastian. The butler smiled reassuringly in response.

"I am pleased to announce, Snake, the Wordsworth shall make a full recovery. You may now go see him, if you wish." No sooner had Sebastian finished his sentence, Snake had already slammed the door behind him and was seeing Wordsworth. When a moment had passed, Ciel spoke again.

"So, what do you believe happened?"

"Well, young master, there were numerous knife-wounds in the snake's body, along with a few animal tooth- and claw-marks. From my guess, plus the lack of a blood trail indicating that the snake had crawled back, I would say that the snake was caught, stabbed, and then carried to our doorstep by some animal. Most likely as some form of warning against anything else of that nature." Ciel made a sort of quiet grunt.

"Perhaps Snake will have something more to tell us from his snake's point of view. We'll give him a short while before asking him." Ciel narrowed his eye a fraction. "Whoever has Finnian now, and I am sure now that someone does, I can see that they are going to great lengths to see to it that we don't go after him.

–

"I must say, he is progressing quite well."

"Indeed. S-012's old data reports weren't false. His strength and stamina are just as great as they were reported to be. He is truly something."

"If this is so, then I believe the next step in the process should be put into effect immediately."

"Rightly so."

"Gentlemen, I believe that, soon, the 'Perfect Human' project may finally be realized. All starting with S-012."

"Indeed. I say we begin tomorrow."

"Double the injections."

"Extra tests to begin as soon as new serums are introduced."

"Don't forget to factor in the possibility of a rejection or negative reaction."

"...Ratios..."

"... results..."

"...possibilities..."

"_My my, doesn't this all sound fun. I simply can't wait for my new plaything to be done._"


End file.
